The central nervous system (CNS) is made up of the brain and spinal cord. Cells in the CNS normally grow in an orderly and controlled way. If for some reasons this order is disrupted, the cells continue to divide and form a tumor. A tumor is either benign or malignant. Benign tumors can continue to grow but the cells do not spread from the original site. In a malignant tumor, the cells can invade and destroy the surrounding tissue and may spread to other parts of brain and spinal cord.
Patients are diagnosed with different types of brain tumors and the most common of these tumors originate from the supporting glial cells of the brain, and are therefore, called as “gliomas.” Gliomas are primary brain tumors (i.e., tumors that originate in the brain in contrast to secondary tumors that originate in a different region of the body and spread to the brain) that can be either benign or malignant. Historically, the glioma can be classified based on the type of cell from it originates, the location of glioma, and grade of the glioma.
Based on the originating cell, gliomas are divided primarily into—Astrocytoma, Ependymomas, Oligodendrocytoma, and Glioblastoma multiforme. Based on the location, gliomas can be classified according to whether they are above or below a membrane in the brain called the tentorium. The tentorium separates the cerebrum (an upper section of the brain) from the cerebellum (a lower brain section). According to an example, supratentorial is a type of glioma located above the tentorium (in the cerebrum) and infratentorial is another type of glioma that is located below the tentorium (the cerebellum).
The grade of a glioma can be determined by pathologic evaluation of the tumor. According to a grade-based classification, the glioma can be either a Low-grade or High-grade. Generally, the low-grade glioma is benign and the high-grade gliomas are malignant, and thus, carry a worse prognosis. In addition, World Health Organization (WHO) has provided a grading system for astrocytoma, which include tumors graded from I (least advanced disease—best prognosis) to IV (most advanced disease—worst prognosis).
Known procedures for treating glioma include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, which are all subject to disadvantages. Surgery is a complicated procedure that involves a lot of risk to the patient. Radiation therapy may involve administering radiation doses to a patient over an entire year, depending on various factors such as patient age, medical condition, etc. Similarly, chemotherapy involves crossing the blood-brain barrier to allow a drug to reach a target region in the central nervous system, which can be challenging.
Thus, there exists a need for improved methods directed to providing an enhanced procedure for treating gliomas.